This report was designed for teachers and teacher educators who, in their teaching, curricula, and relationships with students, struggle with fundamental cultural questions: Who are my students? What kinds of cultural influences shape their lives? How do they and I shape and construct this culture on an ongoing basis? and What are my own cultural assumptions and how do they influence my teaching? This publication was developed after a 2-day institute in which teachers, teacher educators, and anthropologists collaborated to create ways of answering these questions. The purpose of this publication is to provide suggestions to assist teachers in personalizing culture--that is, moving away from broad generalizations about cultures or ethnic groups and toward specific knowledge about individual students and families. It includes sections on understanding contemporary concepts of culture, enhancing cultural self-knowledge, learning about others as cultural beings and applying this learning to parent involvement, curriculum, and advocacy agendas. By grounding cultural knowledge and behavior in the everyday experiences of students, families, and teachers, rather than in broad generalizations and stereotypes about groups, teachers can make strong connections between students' prior experiences and the school curriculum, thus enhancing students' engagement in the learning process. (Contains 24 references.) (Author/SM)

Sponsor: Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC.

Authoring Institution: Center for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence, Santa Cruz, CA.

Note: Report based on Exploring Culture: A Dialogue Among Teachers and Anthropologists, an institute sponsored by: ARC Associates; Council for Anthropology and Education; Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence; and the College of Education & College of Extended Learning, San Francisco, CA.